Do You Swing That Way?
by bicuriousity-never-killed
Summary: Modern Day AU. Katniss is one of the most popular girls in school: sweet and caring, athletic, a good student, and beautiful. But she is currently questioning her sexuality. Clove is the new girl in school, and she may be just the help that Katniss needs.
1. Chapter 1

**Modern Day AU. Katniss is one of the most popular girls in school: sweet and caring, athletic, a good student, and beautiful. But she is currently questioning her sexuality. Clove is the new girl in school, and her dark, mysterious air has discouraged anyone from truly getting to know her. **

"Hey Madge…Yes we're still going shopping…Is Annie coming? Sweet. What about Fox? Oh of course, why does she have to make us all feel so dumb and lazy? Ehh…can we meet at like two instead? I've just…I've got some homework to do. YES, the summer reading! I know I'm crazy. Love you!"

Katniss grinned and threw her cellphone aside, opening her laptop and chewing on her bottom lip. OK, so this wasn't exactly homework. But it could be considered personal upkeep. She pulled up her Netflix account, and The L Word showed up as "Most Recently Watched". Thank god her parents and little sister had a separate account. She hit resume on the latest episode, knowing this last scene was going to be involving sex. Then she slid under her covers, pulling off her skinny jeans and underwear, and positioned the laptop on her stomach, pressing play.

Alice began peppering Dana's tan neck with kisses and running her hands over her toned arms, and Katniss began running her finger, soft as a feather, over her clit. She watched as Dana's breasts bounced free from her bra, and Alice bent down to suck and kiss them. Her breath hitched, and she wondered if it was normal to be this turned on by an image of breasts…when she was straight. But one thing Katniss believed in was being honest with herself. She honestly knew this turned her on, and lately it had been smothering her and pushing her to pleasure herself more often to wipe away the images. As the circles around her clit quickened, she felt the tell-tale pounding coming from her core and the heat spreading around and in between her legs. As Alice bent between Dana's now bare legs, Katniss slowed her circles for a moment, letting her body become furious with want for the same pressure as before. She let out a soft, pleading moan. Finally, she picked up the pace, this time circling faster around her clit, and felt herself getting wet. Her head snapped back and she closed her eyes despite whatever was going on with Alice and Dana. Katniss let herself drown in the growing fire that was her clit. She let her limbs begin to softly shake. Finally, with a last hard circle, she felt the fire explode, and she continued the same pressure as her whole body shook around her. She bucked up as she spilled over her sheets once, then twice, and finally removed her hand. Katniss let her head sink deeper into the pillow, and let out a blissful sigh. Her eyes fluttered closed and she drank in the moment before shutting her laptop and pulling her underwear and jeans back up.

"Joanna… I miss you. Just as my best friend. I feel like it's so superficial here. Everything! The people, the houses… the hair colors. I know you dye your hair, but that looks cool! They're all wannabe blondes. Just like his wife. A wannabe blonde with fake tits and a million watt smile. I'm not being a bitch; it's the truth! Jo…you know I'm no good at that. No. No one. I don't need anyone. I'm fine. Fine I'll try. YES I promise! Ok sure say hey to them for me. Hey Jo? …I love you."

Clove sighed and placed her phone in her lap. She got up and ran downstairs, knowing the only way to calm herself down before she broke down. Her father and Effie did support her boxing, at least. She pulled on her gloves and positioned herself in front of one of the punching bags.

One swing. She remembered the first time she realized she liked girls in the third grade. She told Joanna right away, and her spunky friend giggled. "That's cool…does that mean you LIKE me Clovey?" "….maybe," the little girl murmured back, a blush taking over her freckled cheeks. "I think I like you too," Jo had replied back.

A double swing. Reality had crashed in on Clove when, in middle school, a group of girls found out about her supposed sexuality. Glimmer was supposed to be her friend, but she had told the "populars". She was changing in the locker room when suddenly Gloss came behind her, sneering, "Clove, I know you're a dyke, and now everyone else does too. We purposely hid today while we changed, and we plan on petitioning to make you change somewhere else." "It's not like we're homophobic. We just think it's unfair. And like… a little creepy," Katie, another "popular" tried to reassure her, patting her back.

A particularly hard punch sent the bag flying backwards a couple feet. Sophomore year, Joanna told Clove she had something extremely important to talk about. So Clove followed her to an empty classroom during lunch. Joanna patted a seat, and Clove obeyed, looking up at her with those wide green eyes. "Clove, I've known that you've liked girls since we were nine. I also never cared. You know I'm ready to punch any bitch who is ignorant enough to care. But there's something I struggled to hide from you. I didn't want it to make things awkward..." "Jo, you know you can tell me anything. Spill." "I think I might be…well I'm confused but… I don't really care about labels but what I do know is that..." "Oh my GOD. Breathe." Jo obeyed. Clove stood up, went over to her, and stroked a lock of her currently deep purple hair, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Now tell me." Jo took another breath. "I like you. I know I do. I've had dreams about you as long as I can remember. I dunno what that makes me or anything, but I know I like you. And if you don't like me back please say so but please just stay my best friend. I can't imagine a life without you, Clovey." On the last sentence, Joanna's voice was quivering, and she was looking down, as if defeated. Clove smiled. She tilted the girl's face up. Then she leaned close and whispered, "I've always liked you, Jo," before capturing the other girl's lips with her own.

Four hard, consecutive swings. Jo was on top of her, and her whole body was heated up already. "Babe, you make me burn up. And it's freakin' December!" Joanna smiled, tucking her red hair behind her ear. "I'm about to bring the sun in, love," she whispered, biting Clove's ear. The smaller girl moaned softly. Joanna smirked before kissing down to the nap of her neck and then biting hard. If she drew blood, it would probably turn the smaller girl on even more. Clove had always had a thing for pain. "Don't tease me, babe," Clove hissed. Joanna just ignored her, kissing down to her collarbone, and biting again. The moans she got in response clearly meant she could continue with teasing. This time her kisses brought her over to the left, then south, where her lips met the pale cleavage. Her tongue, wet and hot, glided its way down. Clove whimpered.

A practice circle around the bag, jumping as it swung haphazardly towards her. "Clove, I can't do this anymore. You know I'm cheating on you, and you constantly forgive me but… it's wrong. You deserve better." "But Jo, I love you. Don't you?" "I love you Clove. I always will. But I can't be trusted. As your friend, I want you to let me go." "Do you…love him?" "No. No! I'm not even sure I know what love is. And… you're going soon so…" "So you just think its ok to fuck around with my emotions because you know I'm moving in a couple months?! We've been friends for our entire lives. I can't believe you'd do this to me."

A soft hit. Clove lay with Jo in her bed, cuddling, and crying softly. "Jo… come with me tomorrow morning." "Clovey..." "Babe…" Jo swallowed, and Clove swore inwardly. "Sorry. Sorry. You know that just came out. That's not… I just… I could care less about that anymore. You're my best friend. You're the most important person in my life. And I don't wanna leave-""It's fine. I know. I don't want you to go."

"Clover darling, dinner is ready!" Effie called down to the basement from the top of the stairs. Clove rolled her eyes and hit the bag a few more times before jogging upstairs. She couldn't help but smile slightly when she saw the table: a red table cloth, the white and gold plates, and a meal that was home-cooked instead of microwave-made. Living the past four years without a mother had made her appreciate that.

"So, Clover, how do you feel about school starting soon? Have you tried getting in contact with any of your potential classmates?"

"How am I supposed to- Uhh no. No m'am. I'm just hoping people will be nice once I get there, ya know?" Clove had had to bite back a sarcastic retort when her father shot her a look. The man had a sixth sense when it came to her sass.

"Well, at least you'll have me there, darling," Effie reassured, flashing that bright smile of hers. She taught home economics at Clove's school. Clove tried to smile but just imagined being a laughingstock for that alone…what with Effie fussing over her and-

"Well, Clove, I was talking to my new boss at the firm who says he has a daughter at Panem High. Same grade as you. I think her name was…Katniss? Anyway, he said she has a party in about a week, for the end of the summer and all that, and that he'll ask her to invite you."

"Dad, that's just embarrassing! I don't need to be forcefully invited to some- Thanks. That's very nice of him. But you know I'm not really into that scene so… we'll see."

"Kat, I need to drag you into Francesca's now...Annie and I need your help picking out dresses." Madge greeted her, taking her by the hand and grinning.

"Wait, what for?" Katniss replied.

"Your party, silly!" Annie exclaimed. Katniss smiled. Well…she wouldn't go through the effort of getting a new dress for a little thing like that, but she was kind of proud that they took it this seriously. They were always such girly girls; Katniss was the plain one in the group.

Annie quickly found her dress: a pretty, fitted purple number that complimented her auburn hair. Madge, the ever-hesitant one, was still trying on dresses as the other two girls sat on a bench outside, chatting.

"So, Kat, how're you and Peeta? You haven't mentioned him in a while..." Annie wondered, curious.

"Oh well we're fine. Good. It's just that he's been working a lot at the bakery this summer. He seems to care about it the most, out of all of his siblings, so his dad has been taking him really seriously. To take over eventually. And I've been working too, of course. I can't believe I'm saying this…but I miss camp. Kids are exhausting but it was really fun."

Annie smiled. "You amaze me, Kat. I like kids but that sounded like a hardass job. Nine hours a day? Geez."

"You would've worked nine hours a day if that was where you had to follow Finnick," Katniss teased. Annie looked like she was about to protest, but then gave in. "Well... as it was… lifeguarding was a blast. I basically got paid to-"

"Stare at him shirtless. I know." Annie gave Katniss a playful slap, but then turned and smiled. Katniss mirrored her. Madge stood in front of them, looking adorable in a yellow babydoll dress that was peppered with black flowers.

"It's not…too casual, is it?" Madge murmured.

"No babe, you look beautiful. I approve." Katniss assured her.

"I second that!" Annie squealed. "And… maybe Gale will too..?" Madge looked down with a grin and her cheeks began to flush. Her friends all knew of her legendary crush on him. But, as far as they knew, Gale was still clueless.

"Go buy it, silly!" Katniss chided her.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Long intros annoy me, so this won't be one, but I just wanted to thank my few followers and one reviewer. I will try to update as much as possible, and since I am on winter break, that shouldn't be too hard for about a month Thanks again, guys! I'm new at this, so please let me know where you want things to go (although I do have it planned out) and what I can do better. I hate that the switches between viewpoints didn't showup last time, so I'll try and make that more clear.

~.~.~.~

_Clove_

"Clovey, when was the last time you left that house?" Johanna teased.

"Umm…I ran an errand for Effie this morning because she let me drive her sick BMW?"

"I'm serious. As your best friend, I'm demanding that you try and go meet people."

"How am I supposed to do that? At this age, it's a little weird to just walk up to strangers and say, 'Oh hey, I'm the new girl here. Will you be my friend?'"

"What about that party?"

"Oh I regret telling you that ever happened…I'm sure her daddy told her to invite me and got our house number and she promised she'd call but she won't. I wouldn't. She knows nothing about me."

"Fine. At least promise me once school starts you won't shut down. You'll be open to everyone."

"I promise."

"Thank you, Clovey. I gotta run now. Call me tomorrow?"

"Mhmm. Bye."

Clove put her cellphone down beside her on the bed and was just about to turn to her good friends Netflix and Tumblr when she heard a scratch on the door. "Uhh…come in?" Another scratch. She got up and jogged over to the door, opening it slightly. A ball of fur rushed past her between her legs, and she rolled her eyes. It was Effie's silly little dog…Mahogany. What kind of a name was that? It was a Yorkie, so, to her credit, it had some dark brown fur but still… who names their dog after wood? The dog leaped up onto her bed and settled on the foot of it, looking at her with big brown eyes and wagging its reddish-brown tail. "Hey," Clove greeted, giggling. She sat next to Mahogany and started to pet her. "So…what should I call you? Your name is way too long." The dog happily placed its little head on her knee and began to close its eyes.

"Mags! Come here darling, we're going on a walk with Daddy!" Effie's shrill voice answered her question. Clove rolled her eyes. It was weird to hear her new stepmother call her father…Daddy. Clove scooped up the little dog and bounded down the stairs. Anything to stop that shrieking. "Here. She was with me." Clove offered. Effie smiled and nodded. "Thank you, dear. Would you like to come with us?" "No thanks," Clove murmured. "I think I'm just gonna…hangout tonight."

Maybe fifteen minutes after her parents and the dog left, the house phone rang. Clove snorted. The fact that Effie even had a house phone was pretty funny. It had to be some annoying salesman. "Hello?"

"Hi. I'm trying to reach Clove Cartwright?"

Clove was taken aback for a moment. Was this..."Yea, uhh, this is she."

"Hey Clove! I'm Katniss Everdeen. Our dads work together and well, to make things short-"

"Yea they tried to set us up. Or rather, set me up with you and your friends. But no worries, it's totally weird. Thanks so much for calling. We can forget this ever happened."

"Actually, as awkward as that was, you're still invited. We'd really like to meet you. I know how hard it is to move and all that. I mean, you don't have to, but just know that if you do, I'll introduce you to everyone and it could be a good time. My parents won't be home so there'll be drinks if you're into that sort of thing and… there's plenty of cute boys I could introduce you to as well."

Clove laughed. "I don't know about the boys, but I may just come. Thanks for being so nice about all this."

"Of course! Can I have your cellphone number so I can text you the details? No pressure."

~.~.~.~

_Katniss_

Katniss put down the phone and smiled at her friends, who were all sleeping over. "I think she's coming!"

Jackie Fox (all the girls called her Fox, on account of her attitude and striking red hair) raised her eyebrows, "Do you know anything about this Clove girl?"

"Nope. Just that she needs some friends because she just got here." Katniss replied.

"Well there's one way we could remedy this," Annie murmured, pulling Katniss' laptop towards her. "Type in her name, Kat."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Ok fine…but it's kinda creepy."

"It's not. If she has a facebook, she's asking for it." Madge stated, point-blank.

Katniss typed in Clove Cartwright, and, luckily, only one person with the name showed up. She clicked on her profile and turned the screen so that Annie and Madge, perched on her bed, and Fox, sitting beside her, could all see. The profile picture was two girls on the beach, sitting by the water in bikinis. Their arms were slung around each other and they were smiling like one had just told the best joke ever and they were both still laughing about it. The girl on the right had shoulder-length red hair (the kind of red you get out of a bottle, but very well done), and was wearing a skimpy black bikini. The girl on the left was simply adorable. Her long raven hair cascaded down one shoulder in the kind of waves you get from swimming in saltwater. Her pale face was peppered with freckles, and she had dimples. She was wearing a bright green bikini. "Which one is she?" Asked Fox, snapping Katniss out of her daze. She shrugged and scrolled to the next picture. This time it was just the pale, raven-haired girl. Clove. She was in some sort of arena in workout clothes, and a trophy sat beside her. Katniss scanned the picture and found boxing gloves, too…"Wow she's a boxer! That's kind of-""Badass?" Fox interrupted. Katniss could only nod. But the next picture caught them all off guard. The red-head was here again, but this time they were kissing. Lips on lips. For all of Facebook to see.

"So she's a lesbian?" Katniss blurted out.

"Maybe but who cares? Props to her for having the guts to tell everyone!" Fox exclaimed.

"Exactly. Love is love. That's awesome. I don't think I've ever met a gay girl before. Definitely guys though," Annie said, giggling.

"Yea, Cinna! And Mr. Flickerman…" Madge quipped. Cinna had just graduated, since he was a year older. He had been the star of all of the musicals throughout high school, but also loved costume design. He was going to The Boston Conservatory to study all things musical theatre. Meanwhile, Mr. Flickerman was a guidance counselor and a favorite among the students.

"I just hope certain people don't give her any trouble about it," Katniss said, chewing her lip.

"Delly. Cashmere. Kelly. Enobaria. Literally, if they do, that's just stupid. We've got her back," Fox replied, putting a hand on Katniss' shoulder. Katniss nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! So sorry for the wait. All I'll say is I'll try and update again very soon, like the first two, to make up for it. PS: Star, in case you don't know, is a pool game where one person is on the opposite end of the pool, and they call out the initials of a TV show or movie. Then, if you think you know it, you swim over there before everyone else and say your guess and tag them. If no one knows, there can be clues. But too many clues and it becomes a race to get there. I used to play it with my cousins all the time. Anyway, enjoy!**

Just as Fox was applying her eyeliner, Katniss' phone buzzed in her lap, and her eyes flew open. Fox laughed. "We'll have to fix that…thanks." Katniss just shrugged and opened the text. It was Clove.

_Hey. So what's the dress code for this party? I decided I'll come-if that's still ok._

Katniss smiled. "Clove is coming guys!" Then she replied.

_Of course it's ok! We're all excited to meet you. And it's dressy-casual... like a casual dress or a pretty top and jeans. No worries. If you wanted to come early, I'm here with a few of my closer friends and you could get ready with us._

Clove smiled. These people were so much nicer than she ever expected. Would it be weird to crash their girly pre-party stuff? Probably.

_Thanks, but I think I'll just come around eight when it starts. I'll see you then!_

_ Oh! And Clove: bring a swimsuit if you want. We've got a pool._

~.~.~.~

Katniss' house was in an overly showy neighborhood that Clove had passed a few times already in the few weeks she'd been living in Buckhead, Georgia. Effie had mentioned some famous sports players and singers living in it. And now, here she was, driving to the gatehouse and saying she was going to the party at the Everdeen residence. She drove through in Effie's pretty black BMW, her GPS barking at her to turn a few times, until she finally reached the house. It sat on top of a hill covered in perfectly manicured (maybe fake?) grass and had a wrap-around driveway. The street was already lined with cars. Clove found a place to park, hopped out of Effie's car, and smoothed down her flowy green dress. This whole situation was already making her nervous, but she trudged up the driveway, hoping for the best.

She rang the door and some classical music soundclip went off. Clove scoffed. But, the door opened, she felt a bit better. Katniss stood in front of her in a simply little navy dress, her hair swept to the side in a braid. "Hi Clove! You look beautiful! Come on in, I'll go get the girls!" Katniss smiled warmly, striding into the house. Clove followed as fast as she could weaving through teenagers, and they arrived in a sunroom, where a few girls and a couple of guys sat around, some with cups of whatever in their hands, chatting. "Hey! Everyone, this is Clove Cartwright. She'll be a senior this year at our school. She just moved here from..?"

"Maryland. Columbia, MD. It's basically between DC and Baltimore." Clove answered shyly, sitting down on a couch next to Katniss. On the other side of her was a blonde boy, well defined and very attractive (if, you know, you're into that sorta thing). He smiled just as warmly as Katniss.

"That sounds cool! My family went up to DC once. It was really fun. We went to all these museums…the Spy Museum, the uhh…the one with all the planes and rockets..?" He jumped in.

"Yea, the Air and Space Museum! That was my favorite." Clove answered.

"Well, Clove, over there are Jackie Fox (but everyone just calls her Fox), Madge Undersee, and Annie Cresta. And then there's Annie's boyfriend Finnick, Gale, and Thresh. And…my boyfriend, Peeta," Katniss said, smiling briefly at him before turning back to her. Clove quirked an eyebrow up after regarding everyone and trying to put their names into memory. She had gotten the Sapphic vibe from Katniss right away. Maybe her gaydar didn't work as well here in the mysterious "south".  
"So, the pool and hot tub are out back, and I told them to wait with me until you got here before we jump in. Do you wanna join us?" Katniss asked.

"That's so sweet of you guys. Sure. I wore my bikini under this," Clove answered, and they all got up and went down the stairs to the backyard.

Annie and Finnick jumped in together straight away. He then picked her up, wading his way to the part where it dipped and got deeper, and threw her in. She emerged from the water, giggling and splashing at him. They really were an adorable couple.

Everyone else stripped their clothes and hung them on the chairs and tables. Meanwhile, the music blared inside, and dozens of Clove's other peers were stumbling around Katniss' house. She sure had a lot of trust for them. Clove headed for the diving board, falling in line behind Thresh, Gale, and Katniss. Madge and Fox sat on the side, their feet dangling in, talking to Peeta, who was in the water. Thresh's cannonball shook the whole pool, and a significant wave rushed towards the shallower end. He was a big, muscular guy. Gale stepped to the edge and shared a look and wink with Madge before diving in with perfect form, barely causing any splash. Maybe there was something going on there. Finally, Katniss ran to the edge and pencil-dived in, emerging from her little splash, giggling. Clove couldn't help but smile. That had been so old school. She remembered pencil-dives from elementary school. Then, she realized it was her turn. "Go for it, Clove!" Katniss called. Clove gulped and went for a safe cannonball. She was little, but she was determined to make a splash. Her lithe, muscular body balled up perfectly, and she emerged from the water to cheers. "Pretty impressive," Thresh said, patting her on the back. Gale nodded, then turned to everyone. "Hey! Who wants to play Star?"

After nearly half an hour of Star, the group was getting tired and even a little chilly, and they all agreed to head back inside and dry off. Katniss provided towels in the sunroom, and everyone slipped their clothes back on over mostly dry bathing suits. "Clove, do you wanna come with us and grab some pizza?" Fox offered as the girls got up. The boys had settled into conversation about some sports or something. "Yea!" Clove answered. Why was that even a question? Pizza is always a yes.

There was luckily still a box and a half full, and Clove was going in for a slice of pepperoni when a big hand brushed hers. She looked up to see a tall, massive blonde, much bigger than Peeta. He smiled. "Hey, new girl. What's your name?" His voice was deep and way too cocky for Clove to handle. "Clove," she said quickly, grabbing her piece and sidling over near the girls. But he followed. "Katniss, when were you gonna introduce me to Clove here?" Katniss shrugged. "I dunno, Cato. But now you know her." There was an edge of agitation in her voice, and Clove figured they weren't the best of friends. Madge in particular was looking away and keeping her distance from Cato as Annie held her hand. There was a moment where he looked like he was going to say something else, but then just walked away. Clove opened her mouth, then decided not to pry. They'd tell her if they wanted to.

"So… Clove, do you play any sports or are you more of an artsy type…?" Fox asked.

"Actually, I'm a boxer. I know that's not what you typically hear from a girl but it's great stress relief and I love it."

"That's badass!"

Clove laughed. "I guess so. What about you guys?"

"Well Kat, Madge and I play soccer. But Katniss also happens to be involved in almost every club we have. Madge also is a singer. Annie is a cheerleader, dancer, and actress; she's just incredibly talented."

"Fox fails to mention that she probably is the smartest out of all of us; she has a constant 4.0 and competes in like, academic stuff for the school," Annie replied, nudging Fox.

Clove could tell that these four girls had so much love and respect for each other. It was really sweet. The questioning game didn't stop there, however.

"So, Clove, do you have a boyfriend or..?" Fox asked.

"Oh. No. Nothing like that," Clove answered shortly. She wasn't ready to come out to these girls quite yet. She had heard about the stereotypical lack of acceptance in the south.

"Well…there's plenty of awesome guys-people- that we know. Yes, we go to a typical public school, but there are plenty of open, nice people, and it's not even that clique-ish." Katniss jumped in, emphasizing the word open. What was that about?

"That's great," Clove replied. "Can I get more pizza?"

"Of course you can!" Katniss said.

"My kind of girl," Fox said, swinging an arm around her shoulder and following her.

~.~.~.~

Around 1 a.m. the crowd began to filter out. The boyfriends all were leaving and kissing their girls goodbye. Clove almost left a few times, but the girls kept pulling her back in with tips on teachers, gossip, and questions. Luckily they stayed less personal, and so Clove opened up a bit. She still hadn't come out or mentioned her mother dying, though, and was thankful for that. Finally, it was just Katniss, milling around and picking up stray Solo cups and food, and Fox, Madge, and Annie, sitting in the livingroom with Clove. Katniss had insisted that they didn't help.

_Katniss_

Katniss kept glancing at Clove. After she cleaned up, she'd invite her to sleepover. She was just so-interesting? Cute? Gorgeous. That was it. It's ok to think another girl is stunning, right? Her raven hair was finally dry from the pool, and was falling over her shoulders in pretty waves. When she smiled, the way her nose scrunched up and her dimples showed was irresistible. Her freckles were, too. And her chest- whoah. That was too far. Katniss closed her eyes and thought of Peeta. And Zac Efron. And Taylor Lautner. Yes, they were hot. Clove was just a girl she wouldn't mind looking like. Breathe, Kat. Breathe. She threw away the last pizza box and headed over to the girls.

"Hey Clove, do you wanna sleepover?" Katniss asked. Clove hesitated. Katniss' beautiful grey eyes were almost begging her, though. These girls were really nice; they really seemed to like her! Johanna would say she had to. And Clove would roll her eyes and do it…the girl still had her semi-whipped.

"Let me just call my step-mom," Clove replied, and the girls all squealed and nodded. Madge however, turned to Katniss while Clove was on the phone. "I can't sleepover tonight, Kat. I'm teaching Youth Group tomorrow at church and my mom doesn't think I'd get there on time." Katniss nodded. "We understand."

Clove turned back to the girls. "Ok, it's fine. But I have to leave at around eleven tomorrow to give her the car. It's not mine," Clove announced.

"Awesome!" Katniss replied, almost too happily. "Now let's say bye to Madge; she has church and can't stay."

Madge hugged all of the girls and mentioned seeing them on Monday, then went out and got in a yellow Volkswagen Bug.

"Ok Kat! I vote we watch a horror movie!" Fox exclaimed. Annie shook her head quickly, and Katniss laughed.

"Let's let Clove decide. She's more of a guest than you two."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimers: I had reasons that I didn't update (don't they all), and I hope I can be forgiven. **

** If you haven't seen Orphan, you should, but random plot points will be mentioned here so there are SPOILERS.**

** Thanks for reading!**

Clove smirked, "I love horror movies. But really anything is good with me." Fox reached over and gave her a high-five, then the girls padded their way downstairs to the home theater. A home theater?! Clove raised her eyebrows. The South, as she'd seen it so far, really knew how to overdo things. Still, it was pretty cool. There were three long, dark red, leather couches, and the walls (red with thin vertical gold stripes) had dimly-lit, rustic-looking lanterns lining them. The screen itself had to be more than 100 inches, as it took up the entire wall.

"Ok!" Katniss exclaimed like some sports announcer. "As far as horror goes we have The Ring, Insidious, The Purge…not much apparently…oh and Orphan." At the last title, Fox cackled mischievously. "Yes. Orphan."

"I've never seen it," Annie and Clove said together, looking at each other then back at the others.

"It's actually pretty good. I wouldn't really call it a HORROR movie because things don't jump out at you. It's just-"

"Ok that sounds better than anything y'all have ever put me through. Let's watch it," Annie said, cutting her off.

"Great! Annie, hon…you may still need me as a human shield at times," Fox warned her. Annie gulped, sitting down next to Fox. Clove sat on the other end of the couch, leaving a spot next to her for Katniss as she started the movie up.

~.~.~.~

Isabelle Fuhrman's Esther had Clove, the rock who comforted Johanna during scary movies and haunted houses, shivering. Katniss glanced over and smiled at the girl, placing a soft hand on her shoulder just as Esther killed a pigeon with a rock and her new sibling gawked at her. Clove mimicked them, "What kind of kid-"

"Just wait," Fox hissed, slinging her arm around Annie.

Clove noticed that Katniss' hand hadn't moved, and the warmth of her touch brought memories flooding back to her. But she took a deep breath, made them float away, and focused on the movie.

Now Esther was…seducing her adopted father?! Again! What kind of-

Katniss' lips ghosted by Clove's ears as she whispered, "THIS, to me, is the creepiest out of it all."

The warm breath on her ear and neck and the close proximity of Katniss' mouth unfortunately made a slight blush creep up Clove's pale cheeks, but she tried to ignore it, and simply nodded in response. Why was this girl making her feel like this? Probably because she missed the feeling of being touched; Johanna had been more aloof after they broke up.

The last scene was absolutely spine-chilling. "Kill her!" Clove snarled, referring to Esther. Katniss giggled beside her. The sickening crack of Esther's neck made all the girls grimace, but also rejoice. "Thank goodness! What a creep!" Annie exclaimed, peeking out from behind Fox's arms. She had eventually crawled into the other girl's lap and hadn't watched most of the movie. The girls laughed and rolled their eyes at her.

~.~.~.~

Later, Katniss took all of the girls upstairs to a guest bedroom, which had two queen-sized beds. "Clove, do you mind sleeping with me?" Katniss asked, almost sheepishly. Clove shook her head quickly. "Cool."

Katniss turned the lights off, but the three best friends began gossiping about peers and school stuff, and Clove listened, fairly amused.

"So, I know Thresh broke up with her a while ago…but…do you think he could like someone else now? They dated for almost a year!" Fox wondered aloud.

"Why? You interested?" Annie squealed.

"She is. She just won't admit it!" Katniss teased.

"I- Well- We went out. I think." Fox murmured.

"You think?! What does that even mean?" Annie mused.

"I know what that means," Clove piped up, wanting to be a part of the conversation. "You went out somewhere and he seemed interested but the word "date" was never explicitly used so-"

"Yes exactly!" Fox responded. "We went to see The Heat and then went to Starbucks and just talked and joked around. Like we always do! But it may have felt a bit different?"

"I'm sure he likes you, Fox!" Annie, the romantic with a long-time boyfriend, cooed.

"He'd be a fool not to. Why don't you ask him out?" Katniss said.

"Like: Hey Thresh do you wanna go on a date with me?"

"Yeah, sure. We don't have to wait for guys anymore; it's the 21at century." Katniss assured her.

"You're right…I'll just ask him when we get back to school. Yea. Totally." Fox seemed like she was convincing herself to do it, and Clove took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Can I ask you guys about something?" She asked.

"Go for it," Katniss smiled encouragingly.

"What's up with Cato? Is he bad news or something?"

There were a few moments of tense silence, and Clove sensed it. "Or if you can't tell me that's ok too-"

"Cato and Madge dated and…he wasn't good to her." Katniss explained, leaving details out.

"That sucks. He honestly seemed like a creep to me." Clove sighed.

"He is," Fox growled. "But the guys- uhh- and girls we associate with…are not. Kat invites practically the whole grade and is a pacifist. That's the only reason he was here."

"Gotcha," Clove murmured.

The conversation slowly got shorter and duller, and the girls started falling asleep. Annie was first, followed by Fox, and Clove lay in the bed beside Katniss. She assumed the other girl was falling asleep or asleep already, but a sudden tap on her back told her otherwise.

Clove nearly jumped out of her skin, then slowly turned towards Katniss. "Yea?"

"I'm really glad you came Clove. You're cool," Katniss said quickly.

"Thanks. I'm glad I did too," Clove said, meaning it.

"There's something I have to get off of my chest, though," Katniss whispered, realizing they needed to be quiet all of the sudden.

"Ok?" Clove whispered back, slightly nervous.

"We know you're gay. Or bi! Or whatever."

"Did you Facebook stalk me?" Clove asked, nervous but amused.

"Yea.."

"It's ok. I have that out for everyone to see. I am a lesbian. And I could tell you guys knew because of all your attempts tonight to keep things gender neutral. It was sweet. I just- I didn't expect people down here to be initially…accepting."

"Well, it's true, there are plenty of misinformed religious people who care, but we don't. Madge is the most religious out of this group and she says that it's a Christian's job to make everyone feel welcome. And loved. She doesn't even think it's a valid sin anymore. There was this theatre kid who just graduated, Cinna. He was gay but we all just loved him." Katniss said, pleading her case.

"Well cool. Thanks for exceeding my expectations," Clove said, yawning softly. "I think I'm about to pass out so-"

"Clove?..." Katniss whispered, barely getting the word out.

"Yea?" Clove asked, turning back to her once more.

"Nevermind," Katniss said quickly. "Goodnight."

But the wheels in her head were turning. There were so many questions she wanted to ask Clove. Not because she actually was. She was just…curious. She closed her eyes slowly.

The image of Clove, her raven hair draped over her shoulders, straddling another girl, entered Katniss' mind. Clove leaned down to the girl, whispering something in her ear, before kissing her. Her lips danced with the lips of this other girl. Her chest was heaving, and her breasts were moving up and down. Her small hand reached to cup the other girl's breast, and the girl moaned in response-

Whoah. Breathe, Kat. Breathe. Clove isn't a character from the L Word that you can use to fantasize. Why do you have to keep fantasizing about girls, anyway? This phase was normal for a straight girl, but maybe not for this long. Breathe, Kat. Breathe. 


End file.
